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Holiday Time Off: 3 Q&As for Employers
Holiday Time Off: 3 Q&As for Employers Holiday Time Off: 3 Q&As for Employers: The holiday season is approaching and you may be wondering whether your company is required to provide time off or holiday pay. Here's a look at some frequently asked questions and...
Jan 1 Deadline is Today
Jan 1 Deadline is Today. Attention last minute health insurance shoppers you have until midnight to purchase a policy on the Health Exchange. NYS Health Exchange is down again. Not surprisingly a large volume of late comers trying to beat t0morrows deadline...
NYS Health Exchange 100,000 Enrolled
NYS Health Exchange 100,000 Enrolled. According to a USA Today article More than 100,000 enroll in N.Y. health exchange, up a third in less than two weeks according to the state Health Department . According to the NYS Exchange site www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov- As...
SHOP Exchange Delayed One Year
SHOP Exchange Delayed One Year. The White House just announced that the online Small Business Health Marketplace also known as SHOP Exchange has been delayed until 2015. Small businesses will still have the option to purchase coverage through the new...
United Healthcare Dropping Medicare Docs
United Healthcare Dropping Medicare Docs. United Healthcare has notified 10-15% of its Medicare Advantage Providers that they will be dropped from their network this February. Providers are calling the move by the insurer to increase their star rating in order to...
Breaking News President Announces Cancelled Policies Fix
Breaking News President Announces Cancelled Policies Fix Yesterday, the President announced that people with health care coverage that is not Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compliant may be able to keep their plans in 2014. Effectively...
Why are my rates going up?
Why are my rates going up? The recent 2014 health insurance rates ranging in 15-20% increase is having a profound impact especially on small businesses. Benefits are furthermore deteriorating with new deductibles adding a 10% to the out of pocket costs for a net...
HSA 2014 Limits
The IRS has released the 2014 Health Savings Account (HSA) inflation adjustments. New HSA 2014 limits are as follows: HSA Annual Contribution Limit: Single - $3,300 (up from $3,250 in 2013) Family - $6,550 (up from $6,450 in 2013) HDHP Minimum...
New FSA $500 Carry Over
The New FSA Carry Over. U.S. loosens FSA rules and will allow a carry over of up to $500 to the next year. The use-it-or-lose-it rule scared off many workers, with just 25 percent of eligible workers participating in healthcare FSAs. According to a WSJ...
2014 Medicare Open Enrollement is Here
Get Medicare Quote 2014 Medicare Open Enrollement is Here We are certified and appointed to sell senior plans from Empire Blue Cross, AARP United Healthcare, Humana and Aetna to help people in New York currently enrolled in Medicare or those who are...
Health Exchange Marketplace Top Ten List
Health Exchange Marketplace Top Ten List The Health Exchange also known as The Health Marketplace or Obamacare Exchanges are set to open in less than 12 hours. Are you ready or aye you like most asking What is an Exchange? Starting Oct 1 you can enroll until March...
Health Exchange Notification Due Oct 1
Health Exchange Notification Due Oct 1 - Employers Must Distribute Required Exchange Notice If your organization hasn't done so already, you have until October 1 to inform employees about their option to enroll in a public health exchange under theAffordable Care...
Obamacare Simplified Using Youtoon
Obamacare Simplified Using Youtoon by Kaiser is just what the Doctor ordered. With less than 60 days to go to the October 1, 2013 Health Exchanges Open Enrollment Period what better way to ease the confusion than a 7 minute cartoon? CMS maintains...
Interfaith Hospital Planning Shutdown
Interfaith Hospital Planning Shutdown. The Bedford Stuyvescent Hospital entered bankruptcy court this week to approve its closing and send layoff warning notices to its 1,544 employees. Pending court and state approval, on Aug. 12 the hospital will end inpatient...
Stellaris Hospitals Break Up
Stellaris Hospitals Break Up. Breaking Westchester Health Care News: As reported in The Journal News earlier. A Stellaris Hospitals Break Up is planned; Phelps, Lawrence, Northern Westchester and White Plains may form new alliances. Stellaris had been in the...
NYS Approves Health Insurance Exchange Rates
NYS Approves Health Insurance Exchange Rates. Governor Cuomo announced yesterday that New York's Health Benefits Exchange have been approved . Additionally, the New York Times yesterday published an article highlighting that the rates in the individual market that...
Obamacare Employer Mandate Delayed, More Guidance
In an unexpected announcement pre-July 4th the big news was Obamacare Employer Mandate Delayed with penalties under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) until 2015. The mandate also known as the "Employer Shared Responsibility" requires employers with 50 or more FTEs to...
Essential Health Benefits Not Delayed
Essential Health Benefits Not Delayed The pre-July 4th news of Obamacare Employer Mandate Delayed until 2015 decision may have started early fireworks. The administration did not, however, delay the larger new requirements facing employers who...
Obamacare Employer Mandate Delayed
Obamacare Employer Mandate Delayed Obama administration announced that the employer shared responsibility mandate also known as "Pay or Play" aspect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will be delayed by one year. This mandate requires businesses...
Obamacare 1.0: Rolling Brown Outs?
Obamacare 1.0: Rolling Brown Outs? The sheer technological volume of it all could bring "rolling brown outs" similar to electrical grids. Try to imagine a scenario of credit union Experien working with IRS then Social Security & Center for Medicare &...
Treating bites and stings
From American Academy of Dermatology Treating bites and stings Usually, you can take care of your bites and stings at home with your parents' help. Here's what to do: Mosquitoes, fleas and other small bugs Wash the bite with soap and water. Use calamine (rhymes with...
Happy Fathers Day in 100 languages
Happy Fathers Day in 100 languages. Happy Father's Day to all the men that work so hard to make sure there kids have what they want and need. No matter how different each word is from the other, it means the same thing. Today, a great number of countries will...
Safer Sunscreens: New Requirements Set By FDA
Safer Sunscreens: New Requirements Set By FDA From our wellness partner, Cleveland Clinic In an effort to improve the safety and efficacy of sunscreen products sold in the U.S. and limit misleading claims, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially released a...
Yoga improves health and reduces costs
Yoga initiatives improves health and reduces costs according to Aetna studies. A yoga and meditation initiative for stressed employees helped them reduce their heart rates and helped Aetna increase productivity and lower health benefit costs 7%, CEO Mark Bertolini...
Final Wellness Incentive Rule Released
Final Wellness Incentive Rule Released. Final rules set forth the criteria for wellness programs offered in connection with group health plans that must be satisfied in order for the plan to qualify for an exception to the prohibition on discrimination based on...
Montefiore Buying Sound Shore Hospital
Montefiore Buying Sound Shore Hospital. According to the PR release Sound Shore Health System ("SSHS") announced today it has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Montefiore Health System for Montefiore to acquire its assets. The transaction, which...
Health Care Reform – Five Things Employers Can Do Now
With only 6 month away from full implementation of 2014 Patient Protection Affordability Care Act (PPACA) employers are understandably uncertain. Below are Health Care reform - five things employers can do now to prepare and take action. UPDATE JULY 2nd: Since blog...
Why are Medical Costs So High?
Why are Medical Costs So High? In Time magazine's March issue Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us Steven Brill gets to work on answering the ever elusive Why are Medical Costs So High? The 21,000 word article is longest article in Time Magazine history...
Best Foods to Boost Immunity
From our wellness partner, the Cleveland Clinic By Jill Provost Want to cook up a plan to keep your immune system in tip-top shape? Some experts believe that even slight deficiencies in certain nutrients can lower our defenses. hile an apple a day is a good start,...
Pay or Play FAQ
Many follow up questions on the post Pay or Play Employer Guide have been raised. A Pay or Play FAQ hopefully adds some clarification. Will I be required to offer health insurance coverage to my employees? No. However, if you have at least 50 full-time...
Health Insurance Mandates 2012
Health Insurance Mandates 2012. The Councel for Affordable Health Insurance in VA released their annual "Health Insurance Mandates in the States" for 2012 last week. While NYS did not crack the top 5 they did come close at number 7 this year. NYS Mandates were...
Map of State Exchanges Final
Map of State Exchanges Final. The final map of 2014 State Exchanges or health insurance marketplaces are now in. States have had the option of either using Federal Grants to establish their own Exchanges or letting the Federal run their State's...
Pay or Play Employer Guide
Pay or Play Employer Guide Tick! tick! tick! As the 2014 Employer Mandate to either pay or play gets closer the nation’s employers move a step closer to having to make a decision: Do I play or pay? This Employer mandate under Patient Protection and Affordable Care...
Emblem Leaving?
Is EmblemHealth (GHI formerly) leaving the small business market? Yes and no. The popular traditional EPO is slated to be chopped up for new business May 1 pending State approval. The remaining consumer driven health plans which have deductibles and coinsurance (a...
Provider Consolidation Infograph
Provider Consolidation Infograph The AHIP infograph provides visually a great infograph describing how provider consolidation increases costs. According to Wall Street Journal Article this week -Four Key Questions for Health-Care Law “The proliferation of...
Poor Health Plan for Middle Class?
Poor health plan for middle class? An interesting NYT article today "Slower Growth of Health Costs Eases U.S. Deficit" describes the good news that actual spending has been reduced by 15% or $200 Billion than projected 3 years ago. New data also show overall...
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